As 2015 comes to a close, NAMCP would like to wish its members, partners and other industry professionals a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on the past year for the industry, we would like to provide the readers of the GBEMTI eNews a look at the most accessed articles from the year. Our regular publication will resume Jan. 7.

TIME From Aug. 27: There are many ways to get rid of excess fat, most of them involving diet and exercise. But scientists have identified a gene that may do the trick without all that effort. A Holy Grail of fat — one that can turn more quickly into energy and melt away without building up in those unwanted bulges — is actually backed by some intriguing evidence.READ MORE

LiveScience From Sept. 10: By reading a "signature" based on 150 of a person's genes, researchers can determine the individual's biological age, which may be different from his or her chronological age, according to a new study. Moreover, a person's biological age is a better measure for determining a person's health than is chronological age, these researchers say.READ MORE

NPR From July 30: Sugar gives the human brain much pleasure. But not everyone revels in cupcakes with an inch of frosting, or milkshakes blended with candy bars, though these crazily sugary treats are increasingly the norm. Scientists have known for a decade that cats and other felines don't have taste buds for sweetness at all.READ MORE

AIDS Healthcare FoundationFounded in 1987, AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the largest specialized provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the nation. Our mission is to provide cutting edge medicine and advocacy, regardless of ability to pay. Through our healthcare centers, pharmacies, health plan, research and other activities, AHF provides access to the latest HIV treatments for all who need them.READ MORE

Discovery News From Oct. 22: Opposites attract. It’s a basic principle of magnetism that has long been applied to romance. But the problem is that research on relationships shows that this notion, which sounds all well and good in song form, doesn’t ring true in practice. Instead, we tend to be attracted to people who are similar to us in one way or another.READ MORE

Business Insider From Oct. 15: In the past few years, getting genetically tested has become as easy as sending in some spit in a tube. That information can be used for everything from finding out where your family came from to figuring out if you're predisposed to certain diseases. Companies like AncestryDNA and 23andMe have been partnering with drug companies to try and figure out what role genetics plays in getting sick, and how it can help us get better faster. But how much can the average consumer learn from his or her genes?READ MORE

Los Angeles Times From Jan. 29: Less than a third of siblings with autism shared the same DNA mutations in genes associated with the disorder, according to a new study that is the largest whole-genome sequencing for autism to date. Canadian researchers sequenced whole genomes from 170 siblings with autism spectrum disorder and both their parents.READ MORE

The New York Times From Jan. 8: Among scientists who study how our DNA affects our weight, a gene called FTO stands out. “It’s the poster child for the genetics of obesity,” said Struan F. Grant, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In 2007, researchers discovered that people with a common variant of FTO tend to be heavier than those without it.READ MORE

The Washington Post From Sept. 17: This summer, a panel of genetics experts did something surprising: they put out a list of genetic tests people should not get. In the age of precision medicine, the genome is our oyster. There are cancer wonder drugs that pinpoint the errant genes that drive tumors. There are longstanding medical mysteries finally being unraveled by DNA sequencing.READ MORE

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News From April 2: A Finnish research group recently reported the effect of music performance on the gene expression profiles of professional musicians from Tapiola Sinfonietta, a professional orchestra, and Sibelius-Academy, a music university. Playing music enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission, motor function, learning and memory, according to the researchers.READ MORE

HealthDay News via WebMD From Jan. 22: A therapy that uses patients' own primitive blood cells may be able to reverse some of the effects of multiple sclerosis, a preliminary study suggests. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, had experts cautiously optimistic. But they also stressed that the study was small — with around 150 patients — and the benefits were limited to people who were in the earlier courses of multiple sclerosis.READ MORE